Explanation behind Sprinter calamity doesn’t pass smell test

So we had a choice. We could have a rail service that can only take one route, using grade-level crossings that interfere with motor vehicle transit, using trains that are made in Europe. Or, we could have busses that are manufactured in this country and can take a variety of routes using already constructed roads, at half the cost. Call me crazy, but I think we had that service already.

The move to fixed-rail rapid transit has been nothing more than a chase after federal dollars to prop up the district. For this district, as with all government agencies, policy is too often driven by the quest for state and federal grants that put the questionable priorities of upstream politicians ahead of common sense.

What should seem abundantly clear is there is more than one person to blame for the Sprinter brake fiasco. I find it strange, indeed, that fiscally conservative politicians, who are abundant in this region, have not been more vocal on wanting to get to the bottom of this issue. I can only surmise that they are fearful of what a search will find and who it might indict.

Kirk W. Effinger writes from San Marcos. He can be reached at: kirkinsanmarcos@att.net